Work illuminating tool



Patented Oct. 1, 1946 WonknLUMmA'r NGj'rooL f f. Benjamin Blauv'elt,Paterson, N. J.' I Application'April 8, 1944, .Serial No. 530,109

This invention relates to implements of the class characterized by ahandle-including structure and a tool proper therein and means in saidstructure to illuminate the region in which the tool proper isoperating. In the present instance 7 the implement is treated as ascrew-driver but of course such is not to be regarded as a limitation.

According to this invention a handle is formed with a bore open at oneend and a tool-holder of strong, durable material, as Lucite, isremovably affixed to the handle in closing relation to and projectingbeyond said end of the bore and from near its own fre end to near thehandle it is cylindrical and coaxially related to the bore and it isalso transparent from its said free end to its other end; saidtool-holder is of appreciably greater diameter, from its said free endto the handle, than the bore; and it has a tool-socket extending fromsuch free end toward but terminating remote from the handle and ofappreciably less diameter than the bore. In the bore is a l ghtingdevice, preferably constructed as will appear. The construct on is such,as will appear, especially in view of the transparent nature of thetool-holder and the relativ diameters of the said tool-holder bore andtool-socket, that when the implement is in use the ray of light areconcentrated in a small area of the surface immediately adjacent theworking or free end of the tool held in said socket. Further, the freeend of the tool-holder is preferably translucent, as by being frosted,which in practice I find also materially contributes to goodillumination.

The invention also comprehends a certain novel arrangement of the partsof the, handle-including structure and its contents (the lamp anddry-cell unit) whereby the same are eflici ntly co-related when theimplement is in operative state and said structure and its contents maybe readily assembled and disassembled.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the implement;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the implement partly in longitudinal sectionand partly in side elevation, turned 90 from the position of Fig. 1;

Fig, 3 is a left-hand elevation of the implement; and

Fig. 4 a section on line 4-4, Fig. 2.

The handle I may be of wood or some plastic and is preferably opaque orsubstantially so. It is formed with an axial bore 2 and in this examplehas an exterior flange 3 at on end and, internal threading 4 at theother end.

At 51s the toolholder. This is. elongated and here cylindrical. .Nearone end it has an exterior flange'fi to bear against the flanged end ofthe handle andfrom'thefiange to said end it exists asafplugl ,whichfitsithe bore of the handle, being preferably splined thereto as at 8.From its other or free end it is formed with a socket 9 which terminatesat 9a appreciably remote from the flange 6 and hence from the handle;otherwise the. tool-holder is solid, i. e., spaceless, from end to end.This socket is adapted to contain the butt of the bit or tool proper l0fixed therein against rotation relatively to the tool-holder andabutting the socket at 9a as by being set in the tool-holder when thelatter is molded.

Given, as will appear, a source of light in the bore of the handle, theconstruction is such that the bit or tool proper, since it is remotefrom the adjacent end of and is of appreciably less diameter than thebore, while the bore is itself of appreciably less diameter than theexposed portion of th tool-holder, does not obstruct the light rays asit would if it extended to or into the bore and its effect to cast ashadow on the region at which the tool proper is operating isappreciably reduced as an incident of the light rays under- I goingrepeated reflection by the cyl ndrical surface of the tool-holder untilthey finally issue from the free end of the tool-holder to produce abrightly lighted small area around th free or working end of the tool.in the tool-socket. Further, in the preferred construction the free endof the tool-holder is made translucent, as frosted, as at H, whichmaterially contributes to good illumination, as already stated. When Idefine the socket as terminating remote from the handle I mean that itdoe so sufficiently so that whatever shadow the tool, abutting thesocket at 9a, would tend to cast would be the circular base of a quitesharp cone whose apex is the lightsource within the bore of the handle.

The dry-cell unit her comprises two dry-cells 12 (but the number isimmaterial) in abutting (i. e., electro-conductive) relation to eachother. They are arranged in the bore with one pole 13 of such unitadjoining the end of the handle to whichthe tool-holder is afiixed.

Let H be a conventional form of electric lamp having one of itsterminals formed by the usual metallic bushing l5 and its other terminalat Ha. I provide a metallic and hence electroconductive cup-shapedelement [6 which fairly snugly fits the bore of the handle and intowhich the bushing I5 is screwed. Thus, with Na as one 1 terminal or thelamp, the parts |5--|6 become a lamp-holder which forms the otherterminal.

Screwed into the threaded end 4 of the bore is a removable plug 11. Aflanged ring l8, screwed onto flange 6 of the handle, secures thetoolholder to the handle.

With the dry-cell unit and the lighting device in the bore of the handleand formed by the lamp and lamp-holder and said device arranged asshown, or so that it is between said unit and the tool-holder and itsterminal Ma faces away from the latter, such unit and device exists, inthe assembled state of the implement, clamped together by thetool-holder and the seat afforded by plug [1 so that the terminal Ma andPole l3' tact with said terminal but movable into contact therewith by aswitch-device 20 slidable in a longitudinal slot of the handle.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is: I

The combination of a handle having a bore open at one end of the handle,an elongated toolholder removably aflixed to and abutting the handle atand projecting beyond said end of the bore and, from near its own freeend to near the handle, being cylindrical and coaxially related to thebore and being also transparent, said toolholder from near its free endto the handle being of appreciably greater diameter than the bore andhaving a tool-socket extending from its said free end toward butterminating remote from the handle and of appreciably less diameter thanthe bore and coaxial with the bore, said tool-holder, except for saidsocket, being otherwise solid from end to end and illuminating means inthe bore adjacent said open end thereof, said tool-holder having at itsend-portion adjacent the handle a plug extending therefrom into andfitting the bore.

BENJAMIN BLAUVELT.

